


Later That Evening...

by Imjustadaydreamerr



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, Body Image, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I use my apprentice but you can just picture yours., Love, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 23:07:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21126752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imjustadaydreamerr/pseuds/Imjustadaydreamerr
Summary: This is a part 2 to my fanfiction called, "Please don't laugh."It can be read on its own just fine, though.Inspired by Tumblr user @theevilanonblog who made a post about Lucio and his golden prosthetic.





	Later That Evening...

**Later that evening...**

Sabrina was first to wake. Lucio was snuggled into her side, sound asleep. Night had fallen, and a light breeze wafted through the slightly open window. Carefully, she untangled herself to visit the bathroom for a moment. 

Upon returning to the Count's bedroom, she gazed out the window at the brilliant light of the moon. 

"Lovely, isn't it?" Lucio chimed in, voice thick with sleep as he approached the window next to her. She nodded with a peaceful smile. "Well, since it's already night, I see no reason to get up now. Care to stay in my chambers for the evening?"

"Sure, Love. But you might want to take off your gold arm. It's got to be hurting by now," Sabrina suggested. It couldn't be pleasant to sleep in. It was probably already making his skin sore. 

Lucio closed his eyes for a moment as he considered the suggestion. She wasn't wrong. He was starting to feel an aching sensation in his arm that was only getting worse. "Will it bother you?" he asked, hoping it wouldn't be an issue. He knew it was her suggestion, and she would never be outright rude to him, but the last thing he wanted to do was be off-putting to her in any way.

"Of course not," she assured him, taking his right hand and gently lacing their fingers together.

"And you won't... you know, make fun, or anything, right?" He worried out loud, eyes searching hers for any trace of dishonesty or malice. His eyes were so painfully pleading, in a way that seemed almost fearful. Sabrina's heart ached at the question of if someone had done so in the past. 

"Never," she said, giving his hand a light squeeze and meeting his eyes. "Babe, I just want you to be comfortable. It doesn't mean you're any less yourself. It's fine, I promise."

He was still nervous, but he decided to go for it anyway. "Thank you. I'll return shortly."

**\-------**

It had been over twenty minutes since Lucio went to the washroom to take off his prosthetic. Sabrina wanted to give him time and everything, but she was getting a bit worried. She gave it a few more minutes before deciding she would go see if he was doing okay.

**\-------**

"I'm fine, Darling," he said. "I'll be back in a few. I'm just finishing taking off my eyeliner."

**\-------**

Lucio returned to his bedroom, no makeup on and a throw blanket wrapped around his upper half. "Hey," Sabrina called softly. "You ready to go back to sleep?" 

"Yeah. Yeah. Actually, you know, maybe this was a bad idea." He was starting to feel nervous again. "You don't need to see that. I don't _want_ you to see that," he said, still standing closer to the bedroom door than his actual bed.

"Lucio, I've always appreciated the way you look, and I'm not going to stop now. Or ever."

"Are you seriously telling me that you'll 'appreciate' the sight of a lopsided freak?! No, you might find humor in it, but not any kind of allure. Go on, laugh it up. But only original insults, please. I am a Count, after all." He tugged the blanket tighter around himself.

"Insults? Lopsided freak? No, no, I hate all of that. Good God, is that really how you see yourself?"

"It's not 'how I see myself,' Sabrina. It's the truth. I can never do anything right anyway, so it's no surprise I was stupid enough to ruin the body that was the one halfway decent thing about me."

"That's not the only good thing about you, and it's not ruined."

"You don't have to lie."

"I'm not lying. I know you think it's a sign of failure, but it isn't. It's a sign of victory. You're alive. Not everyone would make it through losing a limb, but you did. And I am so glad you did. Thank God you did, because I am so blessed to have you in my life. You can show me whenever you want to. It doesn't have to be tonight. I can go, but only if you want."

"I might as well get this over with," he said as he stepped more so into the light. With a deep breath, he removed the blanket from his otherwise bare shoulders, keeping it clutched in hand at his waist. 

Sabrina looked at the strikingly bare Count. There was not a hint of face paint to be seen. His hair was devoid of any product, his light golden strands and highlights falling naturally as they pleased. His lovely form was on full display, including what had once been his left arm. He was beautiful. She could get used to this, for sure. A few seconds had gone by, and she realized she was staring.

"Please say something," Lucio said. "You're making me nervous."

"Wow," she said, breathless. She knew right when she said it that she'd chosen the wrong word. Pain and shame were written on the Count's face as he took on a defensive posture.

"I told you it was repulsive, and you didn't listen to me! Good God, why did I even agree to this? I fucking told you!" He exclaimed, his face becoming a flaming red. "I told you I was disgusting," he said at normal volume, hastily pulling the blanket back up around his shoulders. He unsuccessfully attempted to fight back tears of anguish and rejection as he looked down. He didn't know or want to hear whatever would come next. 

Sabrina's heart shattered into a million sand-grain sized pieces. She had no idea that the Count felt this way about his arm. He always seemed so confident about his fancy prosthetic that she figured he'd made at least some kind of peace with the way his body was after his amputation. She strode over to where he stood and wrapped her arms around him. "Lucio, honey. That's not what I meant. Not at all."

"So, what did you mean?" Lucio asked as he returned the embrace with his right arm, allowing himself to lean on her. She noticed he was trembling a bit. She felt so bad for making him think she didn't want him for even a second. He needed to know that nothing between them had changed, and she didn't see him any differently. Not in a negative way, at least.

"Well, I was just a little speechless, I guess. Seeing you with your hair doing its own thing, your lovely face with no makeup for once, and no flashy gauntlet to distract from just you. You just looked so bare, so... free. And I love it. I love you."

"I love you too. You don't even know how much all of that means to me. But let me tell you, it's a whole lot. I've not been brave enough with many other lovers to let them see me like that. Naked, yes, of course, but not naked without the arm. For the most part, I was always too self-conscious, and they never asked. I just assumed that it was a flaw to keep out of sight, and it was a wonder I got so much action with it anyway."

She pulled away slightly from the hug to look him in the eyes. "Thank you for trusting me," she said. "I never want you to feel like you have to hide your appearance from me. I promise you that no matter what, I will always love your body, because it's where you are." 

"You too, my Darling. I was terrified that you would take one look at me and bolt, but you didn't. You managed to do something I haven't been able to in the longest time, and that is make me feel at home."

"I'm glad I could help. I'm so sorry about the misunderstanding. You were so sad for a second, and it was totally unnecessary."

"It's alright, my Dove. We've cleared it up. We're all good. I don't know about you, but all these emotions have been draining for me. I'm going back to bed. You still tired?"

"Yeah, I am," she yawned and pulled him by the wrist to his bed. The two of them crawled under the blankets and curled up for the evening. "Good night, Love."

"Good night, Darling," uttered the Count. With such a heartwarming scene, it's safe to say they didn't get cold that night.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


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